Summer, 1974.
Lying on the bed, Hu Jiaojiao turned over and muttered, “Three days already… and I’m still here.” Yes—this Hu Jiaojiao was not the original Hu Jiaojiao.
Three days ago, when she opened her eyes in the morning, she realized she had already taken over this body. Thinking back to what she had been doing before that—she had been staying up late reading a novel, with her screen split between the story and a livestream, enjoying herself. At some point, she must have fallen asleep without realizing it. Looks like staying up too late really wasn’t a good idea.
She rolled over again, replaying the original owner’s life from childhood to adulthood in her mind.
The name “Jiaojiao” came from the fact that her mother loved eating pepper when she was pregnant with her. Calling her “Hu Pepper” sounded odd, so they doubled the character into “Jiaojiao.” Her eldest sister’s name was fairly normal—Hu Yuanyuan. The third and fourth siblings were twins: Hu Aihong and Hu Aiguo.
Their father, Hu Jianguo, was an ordinary worker at a steel factory. Their mother, Li Guifen, worked in a textile factory workshop. The eldest sister had married a year ago—a demobilized soldier eight years older than her, with a slight limp, now working in the steel factory’s security department. When their parents first found out, they were so angry they hid the household registration booklet. But the eldest sister secretly took it and registered the marriage anyway. Eventually, the parents relented. After all, aside from his limp, the brother-in-law treated her very well. The couple lived on their own since his parents had passed away years earlier—no elders to manage them, which made life freer, though raising a child was quite hectic. The eldest sister worked in a cannery workshop, having gotten the job through a stroke of luck—a story for another time.
The third and fourth siblings had just graduated from high school and hadn’t found jobs yet. One of them had to go “down to the countryside,” and so they set their sights on the second child—Hu Jiaojiao.
She had only been working at the light bulb factory for less than half a year and hadn’t been made a permanent employee yet. She had learned by chance that the factory was recruiting, but only for employees’ children. Smart and calculating, she quietly took her household registration and neighborhood certificate to sign up for the exam. She placed second and got into the factory’s publicity department—something that made many people green with envy.
The night before, the original Hu Jiaojiao had overheard her parents talking while she was going to the toilet.
Her father said, “The neighborhood committee came again today?”
Her mother sighed. “Yes. They asked what our plan is—who we’re sending to the countryside.”
Her father sighed but didn’t respond.
Her mother continued, “I can’t bear to send the youngest. He’s never even cooked a meal or washed his clothes—he wouldn’t survive. His elder sister came back the other day and said Dongzi could ask the auto repair team if any master is willing to take him as an apprentice.”
Her father replied, “That could work. He can learn to fix cars, and once he gets familiar, maybe even learn to drive. Then what about the third one?”
After a long pause, her mother said, “She told me at noon she’d rather die than go. She’s taken a liking to a classmate and wants to see how things go.”
Her father frowned. “Then what do we do? The policy is clear—someone has to go, or we could both lose our jobs.”
Her mother hesitated for a long time before saying, “I was thinking… let the second one go. She’s only been working for a few months and isn’t permanent yet. It’s just office work—her younger sister can take over for now. In a few years, when the youngest is ready to marry, I’ll retire and let the second one take my place. Then she can come back to the city.”
Her father added, “Will she agree?”
Her mother said, “She’s soft-hearted. I’ll talk to her… we’ll prepare things for her…” Her voice gradually faded.
Outside the door, Hu Jiaojiao was already in tears. She didn’t even go to the toilet—she went back to her room and lay down on the bed, her mind filled with one thought: let the second one go.
She wasn’t talkative, but that didn’t mean she didn’t understand. Growing up, her eldest sister had always had a say in the family. The youngest brother, being a boy, was treated like the apple of their parents’ eye. The third child benefited from that too, and she was good with words and knew how to act cute. Naturally, they all received more attention than the quiet, withdrawn second daughter.
She lay awake for most of the night, thoughts racing. She thought about how, as a child, she was slow to speak, always the last to get good food—sometimes not getting any at all. She thought about her job, which she had only just started and didn’t want to give up, yet didn’t know how to refuse. She thought about her mother’s words and realized she would most likely accept their arrangement without resistance. The pressure built up inside her until she suffocated from it.
Hu Jiaojiao, now in her body, hoped that the original owner might have gone to her world instead—able to enjoy life properly, adapt, and live the life she wanted.
Now, Hu Jiaojiao had to think about one thing: if she had to go to the countryside, how could she maximize her benefits? Hmph—she wasn’t going to go so easily otherwise.
She wondered whether she had some kind of “golden finger” (special cheat ability). Just as she thought about it, a wave of dizziness hit her—and suddenly she was standing in the bedroom she had lived in before.
She jumped up in shock, ran out of the bedroom, and looked around at the familiar surroundings.
Her small single apartment had come with her—only 68 square meters.
Well, better than nothing.
She went in and out several times to confirm it was real. Then she picked up a piece of clothing and tried thinking “store” and “retrieve” repeatedly. It worked—so far, it seemed like a storage space. As for other functions, she’d have to explore them later.
At least now she felt a bit better—she wasn’t completely alone.
The original owner had been sick for the past few days and hadn’t gone to the light bulb factory. Who knew what the situation there was now…